Results 4,921-4,940 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Departmental Bodies. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Spending under the public capital programme is at a record level. Many of the projects referred to by the Deputy are being delivered by it. In many cases — I accept not all — PPPs provide services such as water and sewerage schemes and housing and education services in a more efficient and speedy manner. I have said many times in the past few years in answer to questions that until the...

Departmental Bodies. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The cross-departmental group has dealt with those issues, mainly through submitting reports to Cabinet sub-committees. I hope there will be greater success in the delivery on a cross-departmental basis of water and sewerage programmes and roads programmes. Most of the issues concerned cover at least four or five Departments. The senior officials group and the individuals concerned work...

Departmental Bodies. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The proposed metro route has been discussed by the cross-departmental team. Its report on the authority for the greater Dublin area has been completed and discussed at the relevant Cabinet sub-committee. The structure presented in the report to the Minister will be discussed and decisions will be made in the next few months.

Departmental Bodies. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy asked if the cross-departmental team spends much time on housing — it does and it spends much time on housing, roads and other essential infrastructure. The Minister and Ministers of State have spelt out a range of issues in these areas and there is no need for me to go into them. The Deputy knows I did not say I was satisfied with the rate of increase in house prices. That is...

Departmental Bodies. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The commitment on affordable housing was that we would give over 10,000 housing units in total that were projected for delivery under the initiative and that will be achieved. It was never envisaged that it could be achieved over the short period of the programme but that the State would identify sites and hand them over. There are now 70 projects with State and local authority lands where...

Departmental Bodies. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Everyone should work with them to make progress in this area.

Departmental Bodies. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We are doing that. The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources has launched an initiative to increase the use of renewable energy technology in electricity production to reach an initial target of 400 megawatts of new renewable energy-powered electricity generation plants. That programme will more than double the contribution of renewable sources of electricity production...

Departmental Bodies. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Transport 21 is a €34 billion programme dealing with public transport. The Dublin Transport Authority is a new agency to manage all transportation in the greater Dublin area in the years ahead. For decades this country could not afford any capital programme. As the country develops we have to develop that programme. Transport 21 is the biggest public transport programme that has ever been...

Departmental Bodies. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Substantial costs relate to the metro, extension of the Luas lines on which 20 million passengers travelled last year in its first year of operation, doubling the number of DART carriages, and enormous expenditure on the rail lines, work on which has finished. These are all huge public transport projects.

Departmental Bodies. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I agree with the Deputy. It is always those with large mortgages, probably in the first three to five years, who bear the pressures. Given the level of increases we need to do all we can to moderate them. We have an increasing population with a strong disposable income and low money costs. When Jean-Claude Trichet said interest rates could be increased from 0.25% to 0.5% that applies pressure...

Departmental Bodies. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I do not think anybody will bring back a property tax if that is what the Deputy is asking. Deputy Rabbitte raised the issue of public private partnerships. I reported to the House, in answer to him some months ago, that the process of identifying projects in the right categories on the capital programme and getting sufficient people who were prepared to go through the PPP process has been...

Departmental Bodies. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Kenny will agree that at the current rate of work each year 15 major projects are being completed, approximately 15 start and approximately 15 are under way. At any one time there are between 45 and 50 major projects under way. Twenty years ago the number of projects under way was three and the timescales were much longer as the country did not have the resources, which was not the...

Order of Business. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It is proposed to take No. 11, motion re Sea Pollution (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2003 [Seanad]; No. 16, Employment Permits Bill 2005 — Report Stage, resumed; and No. 17, National Sports Campus Development Authority Bill 2006 — Second Stage, resumed. It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that No. 11 shall be decided without debate. Private Members' business...

Order of Business. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: On the fines Bill, the heads of the Bill have been approved and I am informed we should have the Bill during this session.

Order of Business. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Not unless the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government wants to bring forward a proposal on the Electoral Act. There are already powers in that Act. I do not know about the Dalton report which deals with Bord na gCon. I will check on it for the Deputy.

Order of Business. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Is the Deputy inquiring about customs and excise legislation?

Order of Business. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I do not have a date for legislation to update our export control legislation and cannot say when it is due. The legislation is to be in line with recommendations of the recently published review of Ireland's export control system. I have no indication of when the heads of the Bill will be published.

Order of Business. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Work so far has concentrated on developing procedures for vetting of convictions through the vetting unit. The development of a register gives rise to a range of legal policy and practical implementation issues. The Departments of Education and Science and of Health and Children are in discussion on the establishment of a pre-employment consultancy service. I do not have a date for when they...

Order of Business. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The heads have been approved by the Government. I will bring the Deputy's comments to the attention of the Tánaiste and ask whether the heads will be published.

Order of Business. (3 May 2006)

Bertie Ahern: I will raise that issue.